The federal government’s weak budget allocation to healthcare could be exposed like never before as the United States plots a withdrawal from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
On his first day back in the White House, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the United States from the WHO.
He cited several reasons for the decision, including what he described as the organisation’s mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic, failure to reform and susceptibility to political influence.
This decision is not entirely new. In 2020, Trump’s administration initiated a similar withdrawal process. Public health experts at the time warned that such a move would disrupt global health systems, particularly in developing regions like Africa.
The US is the largest single contributor to WHO’s budget, and its financial support powers critical health programmes worldwide. To understand what this means for Nigeria, FIJ examined the World Health Organisation’s financial records between 2016 and 2024.
READ ALSO: How Naira Devaluation Problem Renders Nigeria’s GDP Growth Meaningless in 2025
UNITED STATES CONTRIBUTION TO WHO
In the past five funding cycles between 2016 and 2024, the United States has contributed $3.3408 billion out of the $32.26 billion distributed to countries that need health intervention.
The United States of America’s share of the WHO’s budget has ranged between 7% and 16% in this time frame. In the 2016-2017 funding cycle, for instance, the US provided $603.4 million, which accounted for nearly 17% of WHO’s total budget.
The country distributed another $604 million in the 2018-2019 funding cycle, taking about 15.3% of WHO funding that year. During Trump’s initial withdrawal attempt in 2020-2021, US funding dropped to $445.4 million, about 7.15% of the total budget.
Contributions however rebounded to $1.01 billion in 2022-2023, making up 15.59% of WHO’s total funding. In 2024, the US allocated $678.4 million, representing 14.53% of WHO’s budget.
NIGERIA’S SHARE OF WHO FUNDING
Africa is the biggest beneficiary of funding from WHO as far as regions are concerned. Nigeria is in turn one of the biggest beneficiaries of the global body in Africa. Between 2016 and 2024, Nigeria got $1.25 billion. State members of the organisation, including Nigeria, donated about $698.4 million of this sum to Nigeria.
During the 2016-2017 period, Nigeria received $146.3 million from member states, with $16.8 million of that amount (11.48%) coming from the US. Most of this funding — over 80% — was used for polio eradication. The rest of the funding catered to communicable disease control and outbreak response.
READ ALSO: REPORT: Two-Thirds of Nigerian Health Facilities Lack Basic Equipment, Essential Drugs
In the 2018-2019 cycle, Nigeria’s funding decreased to $113 million from member states. The US, however, increased its share, contributing $20.5 million or 18.14% of the total. By 2020-2021, total funding from member states fell further to $88 million. In that year, the US contributed $12 million or 13.64% of the total sum.
In 2022-2023, Nigeria received its largest allocation of $296.6 million, including $40.1 million (13.52%) from the US. Funding dropped sharply in 2024 to $54.5 million, of which $10.7 million (19.63%) came from the US.
POTENTIAL LOSS FOR NIGERIA
To estimate the potential loss for Nigeria if the US fully withdraws from WHO, FIJ calculated the average annual US contribution to Nigeria’s health programmes.
Between 2016 and 2024, the US contributed a total of $100.1 million to Nigeria through its WHO commitment.
This sums up to an average of $11.12 million per year. From this, Nigeria could lose approximately $11.12 million annually if Trump stops US funding.
US and Nigeria Contributions Through WHO (2016–2024)
Visualizing the US contributions to WHO, Nigeria’s share, and estimated annual potential losses.
The consequences of such a loss are far-reaching. Polio eradication efforts, which have been the largest beneficiary of WHO funding in Nigeria, could suffer major setbacks.
READ ALSO: DATA: 4 in 10 Nigerian Children Under 5 Have Stunted Growth
Nigeria has consistently failed to meet the Abuja Declaration’s target of allocating 15% of its budget to health for over 15 years. In 2024, despite a budget increase, only 5.46% of the national budget was allocated to healthcare, translating to just $9.10 per person.
Without additional WHO funding, health emergency preparedness may face severe disruptions. Progress towards universal health coverage, particularly in reaching vulnerable populations, could also stall without adequate funding.
In broader contexts, Africa has remained the largest recipient of funding from the World Health Organisation. WHO contributions to Africa have ranged from $90.2 million to $263.8 million annually between 2016 and 2024.
These funds support health initiatives across the continent, many of which target countries with fragile health systems. Without this support, the consequences could be devastating.
The post FG’s Puny Health Budget Too Weak to Take US Withdrawal From WHO appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.